"Um...don't you have a guitar? I see you don't play it, can you give it to me?"
Hua Rong said, "I gave the guitar to Yu Boya, but I can give you the harmonica."
Baojin: "..."
It was late afternoon, and Cheng Fengshou and the others, who were still living in the old campus, were in their rooms after dinner, so no one noticed us. Wu Yong adjusted his glasses and glanced at the lit dormitories upstairs, sighing, "I really want to say hello to Lao Cheng and Lao Duan. These past few days, they've become like family. Xiao Qiang, I think you should find an opportunity to tell them the truth, but be careful to proceed gradually. They'll all be staying at Yucai Training School from now on, so I'm afraid you won't be able to hide your situation from them."
I nodded and said, "Take care, brothers. Don't worry about me."
The bandits all turned to me and suddenly fell silent. A year isn't a long time, but I felt a strong bond with the bandits—a bond far stronger than ten or eight years of ordinary friendship. The thought that Yucai would be much quieter after these "troublemakers" left was still a bit unbearable for me, especially after parting ways with the five-man group.
Lu Junyi turned to the group and said, "Our trip wasn't in vain after all; we've gained another brother. Xiao Qiang, remember this: you're the 109th hero of Liangshan..."
I replied, "I can't forget it, he's a jinx."
Yang Zhi said, "It's just that I don't have a nickname yet, but my older brothers all do."
Li Kui shouted, "There are so many of us, let's think of one for him on short notice!"
Zhu Gui laughed and said, "Xiao Qiang's kung fu is mediocre, but he never suffers a loss anywhere. I think we should call him 'Indestructible'."
The crowd roared, "Great name!"
I'm speechless. You guys are all called Black Whirlwind, Cloud Dragon, Little Li Guang, or Little Wenhou, or at least you add "sick" before your nickname. Why do I just describe some kind of insect? What if they want to throw slippers at me as soon as they hear my nickname?
Zhang Shun and the Ruan brothers came up to me. Zhang Shun said with a faint smile, "This time you're really leaving. Take care, Xiao Qiang." Ruan Xiao Er said, "I'm entrusting Xiao Yu to your care. Don't let anyone bully her." Ruan Xiao Wu, who was usually silent, said, "You should learn to swim sometime. Didn't you see what they're showing on TV? Maybe in a few years the earth will be flooded. Where will you run then?"
I asked in astonishment, "Which TV show is this from?"
"Waterworld of the Future"
"...Don't worry about it. Those are just things the Americans came up with to torture themselves for no reason. Besides, if it's flooded like that, there's nothing anyone can do. Including your seventh brother, the three of you brothers will only live for another half a month."
Ruan Xiaowu: "..."
It was almost time, and the heroes called to their companions scattered in various corners to gather together. An Daoquan reluctantly bid farewell to Bian Que and Hua Tuo and joined the crowd.
Seeing the sorrow on everyone's faces, I said loudly, "Our friendship will endure forever, and we'll meet again in the future..." I shrank back as I said this, "Why do I feel like something's missing?"
Hu Sanniang rushed out and tucked my head under her armpit, pinching my scalp with her fist. I complained, "You never let me finish speaking..."
The heroes laughed loudly and slowly disappeared from our sight.
A few days later, it was time for Xu Delong and his men to leave. They had arrived around 2 a.m., so their departure was peaceful. Around 1 a.m., the soldiers slowly emerged from their dormitories and assembled on campus. They carried square-bound packs on their backs, containing their original uniforms and leather armor, and their weapons in their hands. This was something I had specifically instructed them to keep; I dared not leave these things behind.
These 300 people, backpacks in hand, lingered at the school, looking on with a reluctant air, much like veterans before their discharge. During their final days, each of them mentored one or two disciples, ensuring the continuation and written record of many ancient martial arts techniques. Most of these children will remain at the school as teachers, forming the backbone of the educational institution.
At 1:30 a.m., Xu Delong began to assemble his troops. His gaze was firm, and his orders were always carried out. After the troops were assembled, Xu Delong shouted, "Soldiers, in this life we have been honored to become Marshal Yue Fei's Beiwei Army. As soldiers, we are brave and fearless, and we were once invincible. We are the soul and banner of the entire Yue Family Army, and we possess unparalleled honor—" He then changed the subject, "But as ordinary people, you are all my brothers. I would prefer that you be reborn in a peaceful era in your next life, to have your own lives."
I looked at him in surprise, expecting him to spout some outrageous nonsense like "I'm willing to follow Marshal Yue for all eternity." Xu Delong glanced at me and whispered, "That's also Marshal Yue's intention."
See, I told you so...
"Now—" Xu Delong shouted, "Everyone, disperse!"
Upon receiving this final command, none of the 300 soldiers scattered as usual. Instead, they all stood upright, like 300 javelins planted in the ground. From a distance, they resembled an unyielding dam.
Xu Delong smiled gently at them and said, "Let's disperse. Let's talk to each other, and maybe we'll meet again in the next life."
Li Jingshui and Wei Tiezhu hesitated for a moment before coming up to me together and saying, "Brother Xiao, we really can't bear to part with you."
Of all my clients, only these young soldiers always called me Brother Xiao. This special bond is something outsiders can't understand. I smiled and said, "I'll miss you all too."
Wei Tiezhu said, "Then why don't you come with us?"
Li Jingshui gave him a hard knock on the head: "What are you saying?"
I pulled Wei Tiezhu aside and said, "That's right, people should live happily." I then looked at Li Jingshui and added, "And you, be careful not to..."
Li Jingshui interjected first, "I haven't kicked someone in the groin in a long time."
Amidst laughter, the 300 of us waved goodbye to each other...
Not long after the bandits and Yue Fei's army left, Li Bai's time also came. The old man seized the last bit of time to drink to his heart's content, then sat cross-legged on the ground, drunk, waving goodbye to us. This poet immortal has consumed a ton of wine for me during his year at Yucai School. If we calculate based on a hundred poems after a few drinks, how many poems would that be?
Li Shimin stepped forward and said, "Here, I'll call you Brother Taibai. I have a suggestion for you: in your next life, choose a practical major and treat writing poetry as a hobby. I guarantee you'll be highly valued wherever you go."
Almost all the literary figures and luminaries who came to see Li Bai off were present. After hearing Li Shimin's words, they no longer cared about his status and shouted, "Don't give us nonsense advice. Do you know how hard it is to produce a poet immortal?"
Li Bai, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, said with distress, "Your Majesty is right. I've already written all the poems I needed to write, alas..." After a long sigh, he seemed to suddenly have a flash of inspiration, his eyes lit up, and he began to recite, "Alas!"
Everyone knew he had a stroke of inspiration and a new work was about to be published, so they couldn't help but rush forward a few steps. Especially the literary giants, who listened with ears perked up like elves.
However, Li Bai left us just as he was about to continue reading. The last work the Poet Immortal left us was the three words "Alas!", which is undoubtedly the most tragic loss in the history of Chinese poetry.
That day, I was leaning back on the sofa, smoking alone. After so many separations, one doesn't become numb as legend suggests; on the contrary, my heart was bleeding—each of them had their own feelings, their own unspoken understanding. Sitting here smoking, I felt as if my group of five hadn't left us. Perhaps soon they would appear together again in the sunset, just like before: Qin Shi Huang clutching his game console, Er Sha covering his ears with the radio, Li Shishi clinging to her brothers like a little sister, and Xiang Yu walking forlornly alone, indifferent to everyone. Then they would all look at me, sunbathing in the doorway, and burst into laughter…
I always feel that if I call those familiar names in the phone book, I can still hear the unreasonable voices of bandits, or if I go to Yucai, I can still hear the loud military songs of 300.
I was lost in a melancholic, bourgeois mood when I suddenly heard a knock at the door. My heart skipped a beat, and I darted to the door and flung it open.
Outside the door, Liu Laoliu and He Tiandou stood side by side in front of me. I asked in surprise, "You two...when did you get together?"
Chapter Eighty: The Human Realm Axis
He Tiandou and Liu Laoliu—how did these two people end up in front of me together? These two people, or rather these two gods, seem to be mortal enemies.